PAST NEWS JULY 23-29, 2001
THE PAST NEWS! YESTERDAY and BEYOND..
OTHER PAST PAGES
(7-29-2001)
- Labonte Donates: Bobby Labonte honorary chairman of the Cody Unser First Step Foundation, has sent some valuable racing memorabilia to be auctioned Aug. 6 at the 5-star Hyatt Tamaya Resort and Spa in the high desert north of Albuquerque. Labonte sent an original uniform and a helmet, each autographed, from his championship season in the Winston Cup series to the Fiesta
auction. Proceeds from the auction will benefit the First Step Foundation's programs to generate public awareness, medical
cooperation and research for Transverse Myelitis, also know as TM. Cody Unser, 14 and going into her freshman year of high school in
Albuquerque, became paralyzed from the chest down in February 1999 when the rare condition TM attacked and disabled part of her spinal
cord leaving her in a wheel chair. Since forming her foundation in the fall of 1999 with money donated by Labonte, Cody has become a
nationally recognized figure in TM and other issues relating to paralysis with her Cody Unser First Step Foundation. Labonte, who filled in for Cody's father Al Unser Jr., in the 1999 International Race of Champions series, sent his $60,000 IROC winnings to help Cody. Labonte has been the foundation's honorary chairman since it began. The Cody Unser Celebrity Golf Fiesta is Monday, Aug. 6, and Tuesday,
Aug. 7, at the new championship caliber Twin Warriors Golf Course at the recently completed Hyatt Tamaya, located on the Santa Ana Pueblo reservation between Albuquerque and Santa Fe. For more Golf Fiesta information, see CodysFirstStep.org(Camp and Assoc PR)(7-29-2001)
- IROC at Indy: Indy Racing League driver Al Unser Jr. will replace Scott Goodyear again in Saturday's final round of the IROC series. Goodyear is still recovering from a lower-back fracture suffered in the Indianapolis 500. Unser first subbed for Goodyear in the third IROC event of the season at Michigan, and finished second behind Tony Stewart. A victory this week would make Unser IROC's all-time race winner; he currently shares the record of 11 wins with the late Dale Earnhardt(Charleston Post and Courier)(7-29-2001)
- One Engine Rule Again? NASCAR is moving closer and closer to a one-engine rule for Winston Cup, which means teams could use only one motor during a race weekend. Such a rule would do away with trick, and expensive, qualifying motors. Said driver Ken Schrader: "I think it's something we need. I think it would be good for our sport. It's not to make any difference in the show. It's just going to save a tremendous amount of money in the garage area. I think that is something that really needs to be addressed -- the cost of this sport. It's getting out of hand."(Daytona Beach News Journal)(7-29-2001)
(7-28-2001)
- Wendell Scott Memorial Essay Contest: South Boston (Va.) Speedway has created the Wendell Scott Memorial Essay Contest to encourage high school students to learn about African Americans and motorsports. The contest will culminate with the selection of three finalists that will be awarded a share of $5,000 in scholarships. The presentation of the awards will take place during pre-race activities prior to the start of South Boston's Sept. 28 NASCAR Truck series race. Students wishing to participate can secure information via South Boston Speedway's Web site, www.southbostonspeedway.com . Eligible high school age participants are encouraged to write an essay between 1000-2000 words that focuses on African Americans and motorsports. Essays must be received by South Boston Speedway (P.O. Box 1066, South Boston, VA 24592) on or before Sept. 10. The late Wendell Scott, of Danville, Va., competed often at South Boston, and considered it one of his home tracks. He was the first and only African American driver, to date, to win a NASCAR Grand National (now Winston Cup) event, Dec. 1, 1963, in Jacksonville, FL(That's Racin'/PR)(7-28-2001)
- #12 Crew Member Hurt UPDATE 3: Derek White, a mechanic with the #12 Winston Cup team of driver Jeremy Mayfield, fell off the lift gate of the team's hauler while loading Mayfield's car Sunday following race at New Hampshire. White fell 8-10 feet and suffered several injuries, including a possible broken left shoulder and a cut above and beyond his left ear. He was airlifted from the track to Concord Hospital, where he was admitted for treatment. He was awake and alert when admitted and is expected to remain at the hospital for a few days. White, 38, has been with the team since December.(That's Racin')(7-22-2001)
UPDATE: Derek White, 38, of Penske Racing remains in Concord (N.H.) Hospital this morning. He is listed in fair condition with a fractured left scapula, fractured left clavicle, fractured rib, skull fracture and sub-arachnoid hemmorhage. White was apparently injured when he fell from the team.s transporter during the loading of the Jeremy Mayfield car following Sunday.s race at Loudon, N.H.(Williams Company of America PR)(7-23-2001)
UPDATE 2: White has been upgraded to good condition and they are considering moving him to North Carolina in the next day or so(7-26-2001)
UPDATE 3: Derek White, the mechanic with Jeremy Mayfield's team who fell from the lift gate on the back of Mayfield's hauler following last Sunday's race at New Hampshire International Speedway, has been moved to Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte(That's Racin')(7-29-2001)
- Biffle and Cup in 2002: Greg Biffle said Friday at Pikes Peak International Raceway that he will more than likely run seven Winston Cup races in 2002 to coincide with a full Busch Series slate(for Roush).(NASCAR.com Buzz)(7-28-2001)
- Spotters at Indy: Indianapolis Motor Speedway's Tony George apparently will open up the top of his new Formula One pagoda to NASCAR team spotters for next week's Brickyard 400. Spotters have been complaining for several years about poor sight lines from their stand atop the second and fourth turns(Winston Salem Journal)(7-28-2001)
- Goodyear Troubles? Goodyear engineers are under considerable pressure this week from some drivers and crew chiefs upset with right-front tire problems in the last few races. Goodyear is taking a second look at the tire Mike Skinner blew at Chicago, considering the possibility it might not have been cut after all, as the tire maker first suggested(Winston Salem Journal)(7-28-2001)
- Gail Davis hurt: Gail Davis, wife of Winston Cup team owner Bill Davis, crashed her motorcycle while driving across Virginia en route to Pocono on Thursday. Davis didn't break any bones or suffer a concussion, and she returned to her High Point, NC, home(Richmond Times Dispatch)(7-28-2001)
- Hmiel Stays as Crew Chief: Ty Norris, executive vice president of motorsports at Dale Earnhardt Inc., said Friday Steve Hmiel will remain as crew chief for Michael Waltrip's #15 NAPA Auto Parts team through the end of the season. Hmiel, DEI's director of motorsports, has been filling in since the team released former crew chief Scott Eggleston in June(That's Racin')(7-28-2001)
- Petty Enterprises Upgrading: Continuing its effort to upgrade its access to the cutting edge of research and development technologies, Petty Enterprises has begun working with Elan Motorsports Technologies Group for its NASCAR teams. Elan is known for its engineering development, including the company that designed and manufactured the first car to exceed the speed of sound. Petty Enterprises fields three teams in NASCAR Winston Cup competition, as well as a team in NASCAR's Craftsman Truck Series. "This is another step in bringing our organization closer to where it needs to be," said Kyle Petty, CEO of Petty Enterprises. "We're working hard to make our race teams better in every way. Working together with Elan is a good way to keep that going." The first project involves scale-model cars developed for wind tunnel research. This allows the engineers to try a large variety of subtle changes in a minimal amount of time, to give a multitude of aerodynamic adjustments a chance in the wind tunnel. Other major development projects are also underway. "This is the type of research and development we need," Petty said. "In every NASCAR division these days, hundredths of seconds are making the difference. This is another step in finding those hundredths and tenths that we need to move back to where we want to be." Elan Motorsport Technologies Group is located just north of Atlanta, Ga. Its core business is its motor sport technology center, which provides composites, engineering, engine development, servicing and design, and fabrication facilities(Williams Company of America PR)(7-28-2001)
(7-27-2001)
- Cookbook to help out: Members of ThatsRacin.com's stock car forum have joined forces to compile a unique cookbook of their favorite recipes, from appetizers to tailgatin' staples and everything in between and lend a hand to some children in need at the same time. The book is hard cover and illustrated with artwork by one of the forum posters and has racing quotes and more. The cost of $18.50 includes shipping and handling. The after-cost proceeds of this book, about $5.00 per book, will be donated to the Victory Junction Gang Camp. Founded by Kyle Petty, CEO of Petty Enterprises, and his wife, Pattie Huffman Petty, the camp will serve as a retreat for seriously ill children and will honor of their son, Adam Petty. Orders must be placed in advance, no later than Aug. 31. A minimum of 200 orders are needed in order to submit the cookbook to the publisher. Once the minimum 200 orders have been received, the order will be sent in and the books published in about two months. Once printed, the books will be shipped Priority Mail, hopefully in time to use as Christmas gifts or as recipes for your holiday meals(to order, see That's Racin')(7-27-2001)
- Dodge Rules Change: NASCAR officials announced today that modifications to the front air dam for the NASCAR Winston
Cup Series 2001 Dodge Intrepid will go into effect beginning with next weekend's NASCAR Winston Cup event at Indianapolis Motor
Speedway. This modification will allow Intrepid teams to extend their front air dam two inches forward below the bumper from the current
measurement. The front air dam is described as the area below the bumper. The bumper will remain in its standard position(NASCAR PR)(7-27-2001)
- Dale Jr Believes Broken Seat Belt: Dale Earnhardt Jr. says in an interview in the September issue of "Playboy" magazine that he believes his father's seat belt broke in the crash that killed Dale Earnhardt in the Daytona 500 on Feb. 18. "He had an impact with the steering wheel," Earnhardt Jr. says. "That means the seat belt had broken, or he couldn't have been that far forward. That's a long way - you could hit your chin on the wheel, maybe, but not your chest. He had broken ribs from the wheel and that has to mean a broken belt."
Earnhardt's autopsy showed broken ribs on his left side, but questions about a separated seat belt's role in his crash on the final lap in this season's first race have been argued since that day. NASCAR is expected to issue its report on the crash sometime next month(That's Racin')(7-27-2001)
- Earnhardt Report Date Pushed Back: NASCAR president Mike Helton said the much-anticipated accident report from the crash that killed Earnhardt at Daytona in February won't be finished for several weeks. NASCAR initially said the report would be concluded in early August, perhaps before the Brickyard 400. "We're certainly into the middle of August now (before the release)," Helton said during Brickyard testing at IMS. "It might go to the end of the month, too." Helton confirmed that the sanctioning body conducted an extensive accident re-creation last week at Daytona International Speedway, although he would not elaborate on the session or discuss the findings that came from it. NASCAR might not be able to pinpoint what killed Earnhardt, given the many elements involved, including the impact of the crash, the driver's severed seat belt and the lack of a head-and-neck support system(Indianapolis Star)(7-27-2001)
- Hermie to Help Out: The marketing firm of Body Dynamics Racing Bodies, through their efforts working with America's Most Wanted, they are able to assist with yet another missing persons case. With the generous efforts of #13-Hermie Sadler and his sponsor the Virginia Lottery, the placement of two little girls' photos will be on his car for the Brickyard 400 festivities. "Hermie gave me a call and mentioned that he and his sponsor the Virginia Lottery would like to assist in a missing persons case by donating space on his car for the Brickyard," Stated Scott Davis, Media Relations Director for Body Dynamics, "I took him up on his offer, and placed a call to America's Most Wanted and took on a case." The case is that of two young girls missing from South-Side Chicago. Little Tionda, age 10 and her sister Diamond, age 3 was last seen by their mother at 6:30 a.m. on Friday, July 6, 2001, and was last seen by friends in the neighborhood around noon on that same Friday playing outside their apartment complex. "We were glad to help out," mentioned Hermie, "I took notice when Body Dynamics Racing and America's Most Wanted placed the picture of Chandra Levy on the #92 car in Daytona during the Pepsi 400 and I thought what a great idea that was, so I contacted Scott and my sponsor to see what we could do to assist in the future. Since the next race for me to compete was to be the Brickyard it was logical to offer space on my car for that event." The girl's pictures will adorn the TV panel at the rear of the car as well as the 800-CRIME-TV number, so persons can call directly in with information. America's Most Wanted will be featuring the story of these two missing sisters on the July 28, 2001 edition of their program. "Since we made our announcement in Daytona, that Body Dynamics Racing Bodies, Inc. and America's Most Wanted have teamed up for NASCAR competition for 2002 and beyond, some members of the family of NASCAR teams have pulled together and offered their assistance to get things off the ground and start finding missing children as soon as possible." Said Davis, "This brings attention to the focus of what were are looking to accomplish with the AMERICA'S MOST WANTED TEAM next year as well as shows interested corporations how they can benefit by associating themselves with this project."(Body Dynamics Racing Bodies PR)(7-27-2001)
- Pruett to run at Watkins Glen UPDATE 2: on ESPN2's RPM 2Night, Scott Pruett announced he would drive a Cingular Dodge for Chip Ganassi. No word on if he'll drive the #01 Cingular Dodge that Jason Leffler drivers like Dorsey Schroader did at Sears Point with Leffler attempting (and missing) the race in the #04 Cingular Dodge(7-23-2001)
UPDATE: hearing Leffler will sit out the Watkins Glen race and that Pruett will run the #01 Dodge(7-25-2001)
UPDATE 2: Road racing driver for hire Scott Pruett will be driving the Chip Ganassi Racing-owned #01 Dodge at Watkins Glen for the Winston Cup event on Aug. 9. Jason Leffler, the regular driver, will be stepping aside for the event. Leffler also sat out last month's Winston Cup road course event at Sears Point Raceway when Dorcey Shroeder drove his car(NASCAR.com) and Leffler missed the race running the #04 Dodge(7-27-2001)
- Stewart talks to Ganassi about Indy 500 in 2002: Tony Stewart said he has talked to team owner Chip Ganassi about driving his IRL car in next year's Indianapolis 500, but they have not discussed a Winston Cup partnership, as was rumored at last week's CART race, where Ganassi's team competed(Indianapolis Star)(7-27-2001)
- Sad News: NASCAR official, Ray Judy, passed away Wednesday afternoon at approximately 4:30pm. At his bedside were his loving wife Donna and his supportive family. Ray will be dearly missed by family, friends and the racing community. We all extend our prayers to the family for strength. For those that would like to send their condolences please email Cares@racingwest.com.(RacingWest)(7-27-2001)
- Teen Hurt at NASCAR School in Philadelphia: A 15-year old Wilmington, Delaware boy has been injured during a NASCAR racing school for urban youth in Fairmount Park. Curt Tori was taken to a local hospital after crashing his race car which is one-quarter the size of a regular NASCAR vehicle. Tori was racing his number 25 car when he swerved to avoid another racer on the makeshift course at Memorial Hall in Philadelphia. His car slammed into a Philadelphia police cruiser. The officer was not hurt, Tori was taken off the course on a stretcher. Witnesses say he was alert and talking. The race has been cancelled. (KYW News), some notes: the race was cancelled due to rain, not the accident. And Dale Earnhardt Jr was there at the event; plus see a story at the Philadelphia Daily News(7-27-2001)
(7-26-2001)
- Testing at Indy - Tues/Wed UPDATE 2: NASCAR Winston Cup Series testing for this year’s Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway has been set according to the car owner point positions as of June 15, 2001. Those teams in the odd-numbered point positions tested last week, July 16 and 17. Those teams positioned in even-numbered positions will test on July 24 and 25.(NASCAR PR), see my Brickyard 400 Testing Chart to see when each team can test and the speeds from last weeks testing. Both #44-Buckshot Jones and #20-Tony Stewart were scheduled to be among the teams to test at Indianapolis Motor Speedway last week but the teams were granted permission by NASCAR to test at Indianapolis this week to allow their drivers to recover from their soreness. Also, Robby Gordon will test the #31 in place of injured Mike Skinner and Andy Houston is scheduled to test the #96 car(7-23-2001)
UPDATE - Speeds the Top five speeds from Tuesday's testing:
#28-Rudd 175.809 mph
#9-Elliott 175.552
#15-Waltrip 175.128
#10-Benson 174.706
#12-Mayfield 173.957
Other listed: #57-David Keith in a Ford, #84-Shawna Robinson, Morgan Shepherd is listed in the #84 too (probably a typo, should be #80), Ed Berrier is listed in the Sadler Bros #95, Derrike Cope was there in the #37 and Ted Musgrave in the #07(supposed to be a Dodge). #26-Jimmy Spencer had the fastest lap of last week’s test for half the expected entry list at 177.560, followed by #24-Jeff Gordon at 176.481 but tempertures were much higher today(Brickyard400.com)(7-24-2001)
UPDATE 2: #12-Jeremy Mayfield was the fastest during Wednesday's testing at 177.312mph. Mayfield ran the lap before ambient temperatures reached 90 degrees and track temperatures hit 134. The session was ended approximately three hours early due to afternoon rain. Mayfield’s speed was just a tick of the watch off of #26-Jimmy Spencer’s 177.560 best in last week’s test. The top five speeds, all run in the morning, were:
1) #12A-Jeremy Mayfield, 177.312
2) #19B-Casey Atwood, 176.512
3) #02-Ryan Newman, 176.291
4) #93A-Dave Blaney, 175.864
5) #15A-Michael Waltrip, 175.709
(Brickyard400.com for full list of speeds)(7-26-2001)
- Nashville gets 2nd BGN race: ESPN2's RPM 2Night reported Wednesday that Nashville Superspeedway was awarded a 2nd BGN race for the 2002 season, scheduled for a night race on Saturday, June 8th(7-26-2001)
(7-25-2001)
- Hedrick to Return? with Earnhardt? UPDATE: hearing a rumor I have not been able to confirm - that Kerry Earnhardt, oldest son of the late Dale Earnahrdt, will supposedly be driving a BGN car for former #41 team owner Larry Hedrick. Supposedly the team will receive cars, engines, and all engineering help from DEI. The plan is to run BGN and move up to Cup. Not sure when or if the team will run it's first race(7-24-2001)
UPDATE: two rumored sponsors are McDonald's and RealTree(Dale Sr's Assoc and the #71 Sponsor)(7-25-2001)
- Well Denies Layoffs UPDATE 2 McDonalds - 5 more races?: Owner Cal Wells denies reports that there were additional layoffs last week at PPI Motorsports despite news that the No. 96 Ford and driver Andy Houston would not compete at New Hampshire or this weekend at Pocono. "Things in racing always evolve, and you have to be prepared for them," Wells says. "That's what we're doing." Word spread in the garage last weekend that as many as 30 workers had received pink slips. PPI laid off 14 employees earlier in the season. The team will attempt to qualify for the Brickyard 400(Sporting News)(7-23-2001)
UPDATE: have personally heard from three people who were let go at PPI Motorsports last week, so....(7-24-2001)
UPDATE 2: hearing the team trainer left this week and that McDonalds will be on the #96 Ford for five more races in 2001 (indy being one) and leave at the end of the year(7-25-2001)
- Austin Petty UPDATE 2: been asked often about Kyle Petty's son Austin and his plans for racing, never had much of an answer, her is a good column about Austin and his future plans: Another Petty working to step up by Jim Utter of That's Racin'(7-13-2001)
UPDATE: looks like the AP picked up on the story, see CNN/SI for the story with an image: In the blood - Petty teenager considering continuing family tradition - His friends call him "Road Rash" because of the numerous scrapes on his body from a recent spill on his motorcycle. But to everyone else, he's "another Petty," viewed as the next in line to continue the family business.(7-19-2001)
UPDATE: History was made twice Tuesday night during round seven of the OdoBan Summer Shootout Series at Lowe’s Motor
Speedway as Austin Petty became the fifth member of racing’s “first family” to visit victory lane at the legendary speed plant and the first races were run on Goodyear’s long-shelved stock car rain tires. Following in the tire tracks of his great grandfather Lee, grandfather
Richard, father Kyle and brother Adam, Austin Petty took the checkered flag in the 15-lap Bandolero Outlaws feature. The 19-year-old son of Kyle and Patti Petty, started second in the nine-car feature, took the lead at the green flag and lapped all but three cars en route to the checkered flag in the 15-lap event on the rain-soaked quarter-mile oval. Driving NASCAR Winston Cup–style convertibles fitted with Goodyear rain tires on loan from Hendrick Motorsports, Busch Series drivers Andy Santerre and Mike McLaughlin battled in three three-lap races during the NASCAR Grudge Match. The confrontation came down to the final three-lap shootout with Santerre emerging victorious after both cars spun coming off turn two on the final lap. James Sanders of Concord, N.C., was the lucky fan selected to ride alongside Santerre, who credited his years of experience driving on snow in his native Maine with giving him the edge on the slick track, while Charlotte Observer columnist Tom Sorenson was a passenger in McLaughlin’s machine.(Lowes Motor Speedway PR), Actually it was four Petty's Lee never won at Lowes/Charlotte Motor Speedway(7-25-2001)
- Missing Persons Update: Have you ever wondered if any of the missing people that certain teams display on their cars are ever located? Seven-year-old Tori Lynn Wollangur Disappeared in January when her mother did not return her to the custody of her father in Cheboygan, Michigan after a visit. The county sheriff and Michigan State police placed warrants out for the mother while the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children placed Tori's picture on Internet sites and in law enforcement databases. Don Sak displayed Tori's photograph on the hood of his Chevy Camaro, in the Trams Am race (for the BF Goodrich Tires Cup), during the June 16-17 race weekend. Thousands of spectators saw her face at the track and on television and thanks to several race fans Tori was spotted her in Guadalajara, Mexico with her mother. Tori was returned to her father safe and sound in the wee hours Friday morning. Her mother was deported to Houston, TX where she was arrested and is awaiting extradition to Michigan for trial.(Race2Win) plus see a column in the Charlotte Business Journal: America's Most Wanted now has a new target: NASCAR and at That's Racin': Sponsorship approach would help missing persons(7-25-2001)
- Pocono June 2002 date? UPDATE: Tickets.com is reporting - Pocono 500 (June 9, 2002) Tickets Will Be Available For Purchase On July 29, 2001(7-24-2001)
UPDATE: also hearing billboards around the Pocono Raceway are touting June 9, 2002 and July 28, 2002 as the tracks two Cup dates in 2002(7-25-2001)
- Rudd on TV: Sunday at 1:30pm on CBS (hmm...during the Pocono race, nice), Ricky Rudd will appear on "Topspin'', a tennis show started by the United States Tennis Association, now in its fourth season. The segment will show Rudd spending time at the Talladega 500 in April, with longtime ATP Tour player Todd Martin, of Ponte Vedra. Martin is a former U.S. Open and Australian Open finalist and Wimbledon semifinalist(7-25-2001)
(7-24-2001)
- Robby Gordon back in the #31 at Pocono UPDATE: NASCAR.com reports that Robby Gordon, who is on a race-to-race basis with RCR to run the #31 Lowes Chevy, will be back in the car at Pocono next weekend(7-23-2001)
UPDATE: FSN's Totally NASCAR reports that Robby Gordon will drive the #31 Lowes Chevy in the next three Cup races, Pocono, Indy (where he is testing) and Watkins Glen(7-24-2001)
- New Hampshire TV Ratings: TNT posted a solid 5.2 rating/12.5 share for NASCAR's New England 300 (Sunday, July 22, from 2:03 to 5:38 p.m.). The race, from the New Hampshire International Speedway in Loudon, N.H., delivered 4,248,000 households, the second-most watched NASCAR race in basic cable history. Among the weekly highlights for TNT: NASCAR's New England 300 was the top-rated sports program on cable for the week, the #1 sports program in delivery of adults 18-49 (3,897,000) and the top program overall in delivery of adults 25-54 (4,223,000). TNT's 5.2 rating for the New England 300 was a 24 percent increase vs. the same race in 2000 (4.2 rating). For NASCAR, the race was #1 in delivery of adults 18-49 (3,897,000) in basic cable history. The race tied for all-time best delivery of adults 25-54 (The Coca-Cola 600 on May 24, 1998 on TBS Superstation also delivered 4,223,000). The race was the second most-watched ever in basic cable history (TNN's NASCAR Winston Cup Series delivered 4,524,000 households on Feb. 21, 1999).(NASCAR/Turner Network Television PR)(7-24-2001)
- Gordon on Millionaire: Winston Cup driver #24-Jeff Gordon, former NBA player Charles Barkley, boxer Laila Ali and tennis player Serena Williams are among the athletes competing in a sports edition of ABC's ``Who Wants to Be a Millionaire'' airing Sept. 10. The quiz show will move to Mondays as a lead-in to ``Monday Night Football,'' while a regular edition will air Thursdays.(AP/That's Racin')(7-24-2001)
- Safety Lug Nuts: A lug nut is, you might think, just a lug nut. But C.D. McGarr has something he believes will change your mind, especially if you're the owner of a team that races in NASCAR. And he has come all the way across the country to prove it. McGarr, age 70, and his son Chris have been in Charlotte for nearly two weeks now trying to get somebody interested in what McGarr calls his "safety lug." A couple of years ago he was watching a Winston Cup race and saw loose lug nuts cost Dale Earnhardt a chance for a victory. McGarr wanted very much to see Earnhardt win a record eighth championship, so he went to work.
See full story at That's Racin': Inventor tries to sell sport on safety lugs(7-24-2001)
- Target as a Sponsor? The name Target has re-emerged as a potential NASCAR team sponsor in the past couple weeks, and that refers directly to Chip Ganassi Racing, with Sterling Marlin and rookie Jason Leffler. Team officials say, however, that Coors likely is steady as Marlin's sponsor. A renewal with Leffler sponsor Cingular is "under negotiation". But Target in NASCAR is at least a year away, they say. Target, of course, is mega-major backer of Ganassi's CART teams. Target is keeping an eye on its niche, with Kmart and Wal-Mart, sources say. Wal-Mart will not be a player, as that is not in corporate philosophy, sources add. Team owner Travis Carter said he had a good meeting with Kmart officials after the Joliet race and hopes to extend that sponsorship beyond 2002, its present end date. Target's name may have reappeared on the screen as a result of a test of Indy Racing League-pattern cars by Ganassi at Nashville last week, which came in under the radar. Target likely would be the sponsor of a Ganassi IRL effort(SpeedVision)(7-24-2001)
- Cup vs MNF? There's already talk that NBC might ask NASCAR for at least one Monday night race in 2003 to go head-to-head on TV with Monday Night Football(Daily Press)(7-24-2001)
(7-23-2001)
- Third Ganassi Team? If Chip Ganassi finds proper backing, he might have a third Cup team in the works for next season(Sporting News)(7-23-2001)
- Bouchard Back? Ken Bouchard, a former Winston Cup Rookie of the Year, was prowling the New Hampshire garage area while taking a break from his most current endeavor, running a driver training school and recreational driving program for NASCAR Modifieds at Thompson (Conn.) Speedway. Bouchard, who formerly worked as a driving instructor for the Richard Petty Driving Experience before starting his own, growing program three years ago, said there is some talk of bringing his program to New Hampshire; but that he would rather be back in his own race car. Bouchard, who had a successful NASCAR Modified career before winning the 1988 rookie award, said he was trying to put together his own Winston Cup program to run a limited schedule of races in the Northeast, including New Hampshire, Dover and Pocono(NASCAR.com Buzz)(7-23-2001)
(7-22-2001)
see the July 16-22, 2001 Archived News Page
Jayski's Silly Season Site Main Page
This page designed by Jayski LLC, 1996-2012© All Rights Reserved.
Jayski's® is a registered trademark of Jayski LLC
Do not duplicate or redistribute in any form without permission or credit.